In the 10 years since Israel sealed its borders with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip,
human intelligence has been crucial to its security operation.
In Gaza, collaborating with Israel is an unforgivable betrayal—
and extremely dangerous.
In May,
three men were executed by Hamas for assisting Israel
in the assassination of military chief Mazen Fuqaha.
Fuqaha was shot at point-blank range with a gun fitted with a silencer.
Previously,
Israel has assassinated senior militants in Gaza from the air.
But this was a brazen killing in the heart of the city.
Hamas blamed Israel and its collaborators.
— Niveen fell in love with her husband, Abdullah al-Nashar, online.
But she lived in the West Bank and he lived in Gaza.
It was 10 years before they were able to meet.
— Do you think he ever gave any information to Israel?
— Abdullah was one of three men executed by Hamas for Fuqaha’s death.
His brothers believe Hamas executed the wrong man after torturing a confession out of him.
— How was he, the last time you saw him?
— What do you think they executed him?
— In a slickly produced Hamas “confession video,”
Abdullah says he collaborated with Israel so they’d let him travel to see Niveen.
— Palestinians can only travel between Gaza and the West Bank with Israeli permission.
In the process of trying to leave Gaza,
many say they’ve been approached by Israeli intelligence officers
offering permits to get health care or see their family in return for information.
Collaborators are a major security problem for Hamas.
But while Israel has control of Gaza’s borders and the movement of its people,
Hamas only has deterrence to offer.
— I understand this is where Abdullah al-Nasher was executed?
— How many people are being held across the Gaza Strip
on charges related to collaboration?
— How can the Hamas authorities fight Palestinians
who are being told they won’t be able to get health care unless they give information to Israel?
— Across Gaza City,
in a Hamas interrogation facility,
we met Mahmoud,
who is four and a half years into an eight year sentence for collaboration.
Our meeting was observed by several Hamas security officials.
— How was it that were you approached by Israel initially?
— When you’re talking to your family,
what are you able to tell them about your life here?
— Even your wife?
Your wife must know you’re here.
— Because of the threat posed by militants in Gaza to Israeli security,
there is more electronic, satellite and cyber surveillance
of this 140 square miles than almost any other part of the world.
Reuven Berko is now retired,
but for 10 years he ran collaborators in Gaza for the Israeli military.
— What makes a good informer?
— In Palestine, it’s considered the most—
— In Palestine?
— In Gaza…?
— In Gaza.
— …to inform to Israel is extremely shameful.
So what motivates people to do it?
— The reality is that if these people get caught,
they’ll be executed.
— Hamas told me that there are actually very few informers for Israel in Gaza,
maybe tens.
— As long as the conflict continues,
as long as Israel recruits Palestinian collaborators
and Hamas tries to eliminate them,
there will be stories like Niveen and Abduallah’s.
— What is your opinion of the people in Palestine, particularly in Gaza,
who do provide information for Israel for whatever reason?
— Were you able to speak to him?
— What did he say to you in that last phone call?